The present invention relates to a data generation and transmission system in agricultural working machines.
An agricultural working machine designed as a combine harvester to which a remote-controlled system for switching, operating and controlling working units and actuators is assigned is made known in publication DE 196 18 033. To enable uncomplicated signal transmission between the various elements of the switching and control device, wireless data transmission was selected instead of wire-based signal transmission. So that the signals transmitted to the most diverse actuators can now also trigger control and regulating processes, it is provided that the energy supply to the data exchange system be provided by centralized or decentralized energy accumulators, such as batteries. Embodiments of this type have the disadvantage, in particular, that a large number of smaller battery units must be assigned directly to the particular sensor elements, resulting in data exchange systems that are complex in design and expensive. On the other hand, the assignment of a centralized energy source has the disadvantage that long transmission paths require high transmission efficiencies that often cannot be easily transmitted across the distances to be covered in an agricultural working machine.
In contrast, systems with wire-based data transmission, such as that disclosed in DE 41 33 976, are widespread. Data exchange systems of this type have a high level of functional reliability, so that a loss of information due to the data exchange system is nearly negligible due to transmission of electrical energy that is easy to realize. This type of data transmission has various disadvantages, however, due to the fact that it must be connected to wire systems. For instance, the wiring networks require installation space, which is that much larger in size the more elements there are connected to the data exchange system. On the other hand, agricultural working machines have a large number of working units, so that the lines that ensure data exchange are exposed to a great deal of wear when the sensor elements are located directly next to movable components. To counteract this wear, the wiring systems have connecting elements for the mobile sensors that are complex in design and often very expensive, the elasticity of which reduces the risk of breakage.